As tens of thousands of state residents stand to lose their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Payments, state officials say they won’t backfill the lost federal funds, but are looking for ways to help those in need.

Utah Senate President Stuart Adams said if the shutdown persists it is “unrealistic” for the state to provide the $33 million needed to fully fund SNAP in November for the 86,000 households and 177,000 individuals in Utah who rely on it for food subsidies.

But, he said, lawmakers are looking for ways to help those who rely on the program for food subsidies.

On Friday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees SNAP, ordered Utah’s Department of Workforce Services to suspend November allotments and clarified that households may continue to redeem unused benefits from

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